At a time when Islamic discrimination is at an all-time high.

When Muslim women become a topic of discussion, the headscarf (hijab) often becomes the primary — sometimes even the only — conversation. For the most part, the discussion emphasizes on how the headscarf is a symbol of oppression, sexual objectification, and sometimes a sign of radicalization. But Muslim women aren’t and shouldn’t be limited to a piece of fabric. But while the problematic, one-sided, and redundant perception of veiled Muslim women dominates much of the media and entertainment industry, one filmmaker and one actress worked together to highlight a different reality for veiled Muslim women in Western societies.

Mariam, by Saudi filmmaker Faiza Ambah, had already generated buzz when it made its debut at the Dubai International Film Festival last month. The film follows the story of one teen — Mariam, played by 20-year-old French actress Oulaya Amamra — as she comes to grips with the harsh reality of being a young Muslim woman in France, where religious symbols like the headscarf have been prohibited in schools since 2004.

Faiza, a journalist-turned-filmmaker, is a trailblazer in her career in the media and film industry. She was the first Saudi Arabian woman to interview politicians and other high profile figures, leaving a path for other women to follow in her footsteps. Teen Vogue had the opportunity to talk to Faiza and Oulaya about Mariam, “assimilating” into Western societies, and how more Muslim women can break into the media and film industry.

Teen Vogue: What prompted you to make the film Mariam?

Faiza Ambah: I wanted to give a voice to teenagers who wear the veil, and to humanize them and show them as individuals. I know from personal experience that many Westerners, when they see the veil, they don’t see the human underneath. I had to wear the headscarf when I was working in a Saudi newsroom. Many of the Western journalists who passed by our office at Arab News saw my headscarf and thought they already knew me, and that I was a veiled, oppressed Muslim woman.

They didn’t see that I was an educated activist breaking new ground for women in Saudi Arabia. I remember some of them arguing with me that wearing the veil and the abaya — the cloak women in Saudi Arabia must wear over their clothes — was a sign of my oppression.

Though I don’t wear the headscarf in Saudi Arabia by choice, I did not feel like I was oppressed. It was something superficial to me that enabled me to work and prove myself and open the way for other Saudi journalists. It was a small price to pay for the work I was able to do.

TV: It seems like the discussion around the headscarf in the Western world has a very limited tone of oppression. How does Mariam tackle that?

FA: Mariam is an individual who makes her own decisions. Whatever a person chooses to do empowers them. Choosing to wear the hijab is empowering, just as choosing to wear a bikini is. It’s the matter of choice that makes it empowering or not. For me, forcing a woman to take her headscarf off is just as oppressive as forcing her to wear one.

TV: Much of the conversation in Western countries surrounds the idea that Muslims do not want to assimilate into Western society. But in what ways do you think Western institutions hinder that and make lives harder for Muslims in a multicultural society?

FA: It is mind-boggling to me that an entire religion is sometimes stigmatized by politicians and some news outlets for the actions of individuals from that religion. With that logic, all Germans are responsible for the actions of Hitler and all Americans are responsible for the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. Why do these politicians and news outlets give one race, one religion, and one nationality leeway yet hold all Muslims accountable for the actions of a few? As a Muslim immigrant, that is very painful. It makes you feel like a second-class citizen.

I imagine that many immigrants in Europe and the United States feel betrayed that the American and European ideals are applied to everybody except them. I believe that leads to radicalization.

TV: What did you take away after filming Mariam?

Oulaya Amamra: If I had to take away something from the filming of Mariam, and especially from the main character, it would be how she is a warrior. She never gives up. She impresses me a lot.

FA: Freedom of expression and the desire that is innate in all of us to be ourselves and practice our faith in any way we see fit, without being penalized for it, whether you’re an Orthodox Jew, a Buddhist, or a Muslim. It speaks of the desire to be able to be ourselves fully as immigrants, and not having to scrub ourselves clean of our foreignness in order to become an integral part of the tapestry of the United States or whatever country we are in.

TV: Many Saudi Arabian women experience a lack of opportunity. As a female journalist and filmmaker, how were you able to be such a pioneer in this field?

FA: I was very lucky. My father, who was born in Mecca, was a feminist and he supported and pushed me to work and do something with my life. He would drive me to the airport and hide the fact that I was traveling to cover the civil war in Yemen or Algeria from my mother.

The Saudi editor at the first newspaper where I worked in Jeddah, my hometown, also believed in women’s rights.

TV: Did you receive any backlash? How did you overcome it?

FA: Instead of a backlash, I’m proud to say that I opened the way for women in Saudi newsrooms. I always made sure to be professional in my attitude. Some people were surprised and a few were reluctant to deal with a female reporter, but for the most part, people were supportive and when they saw that I was serious, they were happy to cooperate.

TV: Oulaya, how did you get into acting?

OA: I got into acting and the film industry thanks to an association called 1,000 Visages, which offered me the opportunity to discover all the professions involved in the making of movies. I felt quite quickly that what appealed to me the most was acting.

TV: Do you feel it's difficult for a woman of color to break into the French film industry?

OA: I think that the French film industry is evolving. It is still difficult to break into the French film industry when one comes from a working-class background but I would not assert that it is due to the color of one's skin. Nowadays, people are more open-minded.

TV: What advice do you both want to give women from non-privileged backgrounds?

OA: I would tell young teens that everything is possible when you believe in it. And that they must never give up but keep on trying.

FA: Arm yourself with knowledge. If you’re Muslim, use the Koran to fight for your rights. You can find texts in there that support women’s rights. Remember you are always being watched and setting an example. Set the right example and people who doubted you and your abilities will be swayed by your determination and professionalism.